The crowd of 44,064 that witnessed Arsenal’s win over Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night was the lowest-ever for a competitive first-team fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
The number of tickets sold for the third round tie came in less than the previous low of 46,539 for a League Cup match with Shrewsbury Town on September 20, 2011.
Those present at the Emirates on Wednesday night suggested that although 44,064 tickets had officially been sold, the large sections of empty seats suggested the true attendance was even lower.
The crowd of 44,064 at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal’s win over Doncaster Rovers was a record low for the ground
There were large sections of empty seats despite tickets being cheaply priced at just £10
Arsenal had tried to boost sales by offering tickets priced cheaply at £10 for adults and £5 for children, but the prospect of turning out to see League One opposition wasn’t too appealing.
And so it transpired, with the lowest gate since Arsenal moved to the stadium from nearby Highbury back in 2006, despite 5,500 travelling fans from South Yorkshire.
Theo Walcott settled an entertaining contest in the 25th-minute, though Doncaster may well have forced extra time with a late rally.
Sir Alex Ferguson watched on at the Emirates as his son Darren took charge of Doncaster
Arsenal mascot Gunnersaurus Rex tries to whip up the crowd ahead of kick-off
Theo Walcott scores the only goal of the game as Arsenal defeated their League One visitors
Bournemouth were the only Premier League side hosting a Carabao Cup fixture this week that registered a higher crowd than for their most recent home Premier League match.
Their crowd of 10,372 for the game against Brighton was precisely three more than the number that turned out for the Premier League fixture between the sides last Friday.
Arsenal’s crowd was 15,198 down on their most recent league games, while Manchester United’s was down 20,786 and Tottenham’s an astonishing 41,540.
